Christmas Shopping
by Penelopi
Summary: Shute and Captain need to find gifts for everyone. Where do they start! One-shot, only canon characters, cute friendship slice-of-life fluff for the 2017 Christmas season.


**Author's Notes**

As it is Christmas 2017, I'm pleased to present you a little Christmas contribution. This one is fluffy and has only canon characters. I started it last year during Christmas, but by the time I finished... it was already New Year XD This time around I tried to start early with my editing. Crossing my fingers that it turned out well. I hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas and God Bless!

 **Copyright Info**

SD Gundam Force is produced and owned by Bandai and Sunrise. All characters and settings belong to them.

* * *

 _ **Christmas Shopping**_

The mall was busy and loud. Mobile citizens and humans shuffled along in uneven clusters, some walking slowly to accommodate little feet or to carry a conversation, and some impatiently weaving through the fringes to hurry to the storefronts. They moved up and down escalators, walked across bridges in the second floor, and trotted past giant windows looking out on downtown Neotopia, which presented a large reminder of the upcoming holidays—the twin towers framed a giant luminescent Christmas tree. Children screeched, robots clunked, heels clicked, and bags rustled. Amid this all, Shute was pressing his face against one of the windows, his green eyes gazing mournfully at a tall hexagonal building.

Captain came to a clunking halt next to him. He'd donned his civilian mode look: friendly curvy armor and an unmasked face and chin. "What is the matter, Shute? Do you see shopping destinations outside?"

Shute sighed, dragging his wild brown bangs against the glass. "No, I'm just curious about Sayla's cake... She's making another big one for the mayor because of Christmas, and I really want a bite..."

"Will you be one of the recipients?"

"Probably not... It's for a big party that the mayor's having with some other important people."

"Please specify 'important,' Shute. I think you're important, but that obviously does not qualify you for this engagement."

"Thanks, Captain..." Shute pulled back and unflattened his bangs. "Eh, I guess that cake doesn't really matter." He faced with friend with a shrug. "I'll just forget about it. Let's go buy everyone gifts."

"For the gift exchange ritual on December 25th, correct?"

The boy laughed. "Yeah, for Christmas!"

"Your list of intended recipients is Miss Keiko, Mark, Nana, Zero, Bakunetsumaru, and Sayla. Is that everyone?"

"Well, for the most part."

Captain cocked his head. "I don't understand the classification categories used in deciding who receives a gift. Some individuals are your family, and some are your friends."

"Yeah, you buy gifts for your family and your friends."

"But Shute, I am your friend, and you did not list me among your recipients."

Shute scratched his head. "That's because the gift has to be a surprise. I can't shop for your gift today because you're with me. If I do, you'll know what your gift is."

"Hm. I suppose that means I can't shop for a gift for you today, either."

"Probably not, since you want to keep it a secret..."

"I do?"

"Yes, Captain, you do."

"Then I will keep the gifts concealed."

Shute nodded. "I'm gonna go find something for Mom and Dad, first. Mom likes perfume, so I'll check Aroma."

"Sounds like a plan."

They sped through the stores since Shute already had ideas for each person's present. He also helped Captain pick out his: a new silk polishing chamois for Zero, and a calligraphy ink set for Baku.

"Are you certain that Bakunetsumaru would appreciate this gift?" Captain asked in the check-out line of Ray Bookstore. His gaze wandered to the "Specialty Items For Mobile Citizens!" shelves, bearing such items as oils, polishing tools, deco-stickers and stencils, paints, and joint warmers. "Wouldn't another polishing chamois be more practical?"

"I don't think he'd want the same gift as Zero," Shute said. "You know how those two are. Plus, he's a samurai. He loves calligraphy! This will help him relax." He pat the calligraphy kit box.

"If you really think so."

Minutes later, they stepped out of the store with their shopping bags in hand. Captain shuffled along easily with five, while Shute, at his own insistence, carried the last one with the calligraphy set.

"I think that's about it," Shute said.

Captain nodded. "I believe so. Everyone on the list for today is accounted for."

"Then let's head home so we can wrap them." The boy walked to an elevator, and Captain followed.

With the press of a button, the elevator began to move up toward their floor. Shute hummed as he listened to the characteristic whoosh of the hydraulics and shifting of the counterweight. But as it rose, he could hear loud voices, too.

 _"But I'm hungry!"_ one whined.

 _"I reminded you to eat before we left!"_ said another.

 _"I did! And I'm hungry again!"_

 _"We don't have time for your gluttonous..."_

The rest was drowned out by an AI announcing, "Floor 2." A ping sounded as it reached their level.

The elevator door slid open, and a shape shot out—a blue robot floating with his back to Shute and Captain, bearing three shopping bags. He was yelling at someone still in the elevator. "—Get out here! We have more shopping to do!"

"Zero, look out!"

It was too late: Zero crashed into Shute, and the bags and bodies sprawled on the floor. Bystanders gasped.

"Shute!" Baku ducked to get his helmet horns under the doorway. "Are you okay?!"

Captain set down his bags and helped the boy to his feet. "No serious injuries are evident," he observed. Though the crowd murmured, they were starting to calm down.

"I'm very sorry, Shute," Zero mumbled, picking himself up and brushing off his cape. "A certain someone was being very distracting—"

"—You're saying it's my fault?! You need to watch where you're going!"

Shute let go of Captain to step between them. "It's okay! I'm fine! Let's just pick up our bags."

"Ah, yes!" Zero scrambled to scoop up a big white one.

Captain was already bending for a lost gift. Baku lifted a crinkly one that chimed as it moved. Other shoppers now wove around them to get to the open elevator.

Shute's bag ripped. "Oops!" The calligraphy set rolled out through the tear. Ka-clunk!

Baku peered at it. "What's this?"

He dove to cover the box. "It's nothing! It's something for... a school project! Yeah!"

"Oh, I see!" The samurai was beaming. "It must be a fun project."

"Yeah! Definitely!" Shute slid it quickly back into the bag and held the tear shut.

A hiss came from Zero. _"Bakunetsumaru...!"_ The knight gestured to other fallen gifts that had yet to be retrieved.

"Oh, yeah!" He quickly scooped up an RC helicopter drone and a red-and-green shawl.

Shute stood, hugging his parcel. "So you're both out shopping, too?"

Zero averted his eyes. "Yes, we're..."

Baku chimed in, "We're shopping for Chris—!"

The knight elbowed him sharply. "—For Chris, a friend of ours!"

Baku was massaging his side. "*Ahem* Yes, of course! We're not shopping for presents for you guys or anything! Not at all!"

Zero covered his eyescreens. "Oh, Mana, Baku..."

"What?! I didn't say anything!"

"You said _everything_ , you simpleton!"

Shute grinned, then broke into a laugh.

"What?" Zero demanded.

"You two are great friends."

The knight huffed. "With each other? No."

"Well, excuse me, High-and-Mighty! I—!"

A loud rumble interrupted. Baku blushed and covered his midsection as the others laughed. "I guess you're hungry, huh?" Shute said.

"Such a glutton," Zero said.

"Hey, I can't help that I'm a healthy Musha Gundam!"

"It's okay!" Shute interjected. "Why don't we all go to the food court?"

"You mean, to have lunch together?" Captain asked.

"Yeah."

"I like that idea."

Me, too! Let s go! Baku the Hungry Samurai set off, and the rest hurried to keep up.

The Gundam Force moved to the food court, a high-ceilinged circular room ringed with stands including "Neo Burger," "Qubeley Kabob," and "Bright Bites." After some arguing, mediation, reconciliation, and redistribution of shopping bags, they moved to their chosen restaurants. Captain watched the merchandise at a table for four while the rest lined up for food. Soon, Baku bit into a plate of sushi, Zero sat with a grilled chicken wrap, and Shute swallowed down a burger.

"So ungraceful. Eat with your mouth closed, samurai."

"Keep talking, and I'll shut your mouth for you, Winged Knight!"

"Guys, come on..."

As the food disappeared, the conversation began to change. Shute leaned in to Zero's wing decal, where his audio receptors were most sensitive, while Baku was busy describing the taste of sushi and its different types. "Hey, Zero?" he whispered. "Can I ask you something?"

Zero nodded. "Certainly. What is it?"

"What should I get Captain for Christmas? What do you think he would he like?"

The Knight Gundam put a hand to his chinpiece. "For Captain... Hm..."

On Shute's other side, Captain Gundam's sensitive audio receptors heard the whispering. _Shute probably doesn't want me to listen, since Christmas gifts are supposed to be secret,_ he thought. He lowered the sensitivity of his sensors just enough to omit Shute and Zero's whispers. Then he edged closer to Baku. "Bakunetsumaru, may I interrupt?"

"Uh, sure. _Why are you whispering?"_

"I want to be discreet. I am supposed to keep Shute's Christmas gift a secret, because that is the tradition."

"Oh. What are you giving him?"

"I don't know, yet. I was hoping you could help me decide. What kind of gift would Shute expect?"

"Something practical, or something that shows your respect for him." Baku leaned across the table to hiss excitedly, "Give him something that will bestow honor!"

"What is an example of such a gift?"

"A sword!"

"But Shute is not permitted to carry loaded weapons..."

Meanwhile, Zero was saying to Shute, "Perhaps something to remind him of you. A keepsake, like an ornament. He needs more personal items—he has all of his practical needs met, but he still lives much like a..." He trailed off as he searched for the proper phrase.

"...like a soldier?"

"Yes, in a way."

"Hmm. Yeah, I guess he might like something like that..."

The four friends conspired, shot secretive glances and mischievous grins, laughed, and took bites in between. At last, the food ran out, dusk reddened the sky, and the group said their farewells: Captain and Shute went home to unpack and wrap their loot, and Zero and Baku went on to finish their arduous—and argumentative—shopping quest.

...

On Christmas Day, the Gundam Force gathered at Shute's house for the festivities. They pushed the coffee table to the wall and formed a ring around the living room. Keiko bounced Nana on her knee while Mark helped pass out gifts.

"This one's for you... For you... Here's a big one for you!" He laid a wide green box with perfectly symmetrical and clean folded ends in Baku's lap.

"Ooh!" The Musha Gundam turned it over curiously. "What is it?"

"You have to wait to find out," Shute said with a grin, elbowing Captain.

Zero rattled a small gold-foil gift bag.

"Hey, no cheating!" Baku said.

"I am NOT 'cheating'!"

"You were shaking it!"

"This honorable knight did no such thing!"

"Will you two stop?!"

Keiko's brown eyes flashed with the quick and potent fire of a seasoned teacher. "Boys, don't start arguing in my house!"

With wide eyes, the two chimed, "Yes, ma-am!" and waited quietly for the rest of the gifts.

After all were distributed, each person had a turn opening their stack. Zero unfurled his new chamois, a simple silver, soft cloth. "Thank you, Captain. I've needed a new one for... a long time." He fingered the material as Baku ripped off the wrapping on his own gift.

"Woah! A calligraphy set!" Baku held it up and turned the box over to see the back. "But, I thought this was for a school project, Shute?"

"Haha, sorry, I lied." Shute scratched the back of his neck. "I wanted to help Captain keep it a secret from you."

"Oh! Very sneaky." Baku pat Shute on the back. "Well-done, my friend. You kept it very secret. I had no clue it was for me!"

"Because you're an imbecile."

"What was that, Zero?"

"Oh, nothing."

Shute untied the gold ribbon around a small, narrow black box. "A pen?" He pulled off the lid and raised an eyebrow. "A... sword?" A miniature double-edged sword was nestled in the white, cushy lining.

"It is a letter-opener," Captain explained. "I wanted to show my high respect for you by giving you a sword, but Neotopian law forbids normal citizens to carry one. So, I found a safe sword."

Mark hid his mouth behind his hand, and Keiko grinned. Shute smiled. "Thanks, Captain. I'll take good care of it!"

He opened the remainder of his gifts: an RC drone and a subscription for the monthly magazine. But Shute twirled the mini-sword between his fingers as Captain took his turn opening gifts.

The Gundam carefully unrolled a bundle of red tissue paper until a round shape dropped into his hand. "Hm..." He held it up: a plastic white ball with a loop at the top, and on one side a picture of a certain pair, both grinning with an arm around each other. The year "2048" was printed on the other. "It is an ornament."

Shute blushed. "Yeah, I thought you would like a keepsake. Something to remind you of the fun times we've had."

"This is the picture we took at the mall. It certainly does remind me of fun times. I like it. Thank you, Shute."

The boy was all grins. "Aw, you're welcome."

After everyone's gifts were exchanged, the discarded wrapping gathered in a trash bag, dinner eaten, and carols sung by the fireplace (Nana cringed whenever Baku started to sing), the party dispersed to relax and settle for the evening. Zero disappeared while Shute unpacked his new drone. By the time the knight returned—with a new, glaring shine to his armor—the boy and the other Gundams were flying it outside.

A red light on each of its four legs marked it in the night sky. It zig-zagged, dove, and rolled, tracing patterns as it went. A circle, a figure-eight, a spiral...

"Do an X, Shute! Do an X!"

"That's hard to do, Baku..."

"It is impossible, actually, with the drone's current capabilities, to cause two lines to cross perpendicularly without connected ends. The closest shape you could produce is another figure-eight."

"He's too simple to understand," Zero chimed in.

"Hey!"

The patio door slid open. "Mr. Zero! Mr. Bakunetsumaru!" Keiko called. "I need you two to help me set up your beds for the night!"

"Coming, Miss Keiko!" Baku sprang forward.

But Zero flew ahead. "I get the air mattress. You can have the sleeping bag!"

"What?! Why, you...!"

Zero, laughing, dodged just in front of the pursuing Musha Gundam, and the two whizzed inside past Keiko. The woman shook her head and shut the sliding screen door.

Shute chuckled. "They're something."

"Yes, they are," Captain said. "They're good friends, as you said."

"Mhm." Shute's eyes followed his drone as it lowered. He reached up and spread his palm for a landing pad, and the quad-winged machine settled neatly down. Its rotors slowed to a stop.

"That is a good gift," Captain said. "It is fun to use, and it matches your hobby interests. You will have many uses for the drone... I wish I'd thought of that gift." Though his stiff face showed little expression, Shute noticed the sag of his shoulders.

He set the drone on the porch table. "I really like your gift, Captain. It's right here." He pulled it out of his pocket. "It can come with me wherever I go, even to school, because it's not a toy and it's not too sharp. It also looks really cool!"

Captain looked up. "It does?"

"Yeah." He put an arm around his robot friend. "And you know what I like most about it? You gave it to me, so it'll always remind me of you!"

"I'm glad you like it... I will also treasure the ornament you gave me. I'll use it to decorate the Christmas tree in the SDG Base."

"Oh, I didn't know you could put ornaments on it."

"I know no regulations against it, so I believe it is permitted."

Shute grimaced. "I guess that's good, because I didn't think about if you had a tree or not... See how bad _I_ am at buying gifts?"

A chuckle escaped Captain. "It's fine. It is a good keepsake."

"Thanks." The boy leaned against the railing and lifted his gaze to the sky.

Captain also looked up. "Hm..."

"What is it, Captain?"

"I was thinking about the time we watched the clouds, back when we first met." He stepped to the railing beside his friend. "I can see the clouds with my night vision, but I doubt they're visible to you."

Shute's green eyes gleamed. "That's okay. You can look at shapes in the stars, too. Constellations, y'know? Look—" He traced a box and handle in the night. "—that's the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major."

"I understand that 'dipper' is synonymous with 'ladle,' which has a resemblance in that constellation shape. But 'Ursa Major' means 'big bear,' and I do not understand how it looks like a bear."

"I don't really know how, either. Someone told me the tail was stretched out, or something. Orion looks a lot more like an actual shape. It's over there. That's his body... his belt... his sword... his shield... and his club up there. Orion was a hunter in an old Greek legend."

"I see. It does look far more recognizable. Orion could use some legs and a head, though."

"Do you want to add them?"

"Sure. I will attach... those stars, for his head. And those for his legs."

"Which stars for the head?"

"Over there."

"I don't see them."

"Hm. They must be outside of your field of vision..."

Shute laughed. "Well, that's okay, as long as _you_ can see them." He glanced over. "...Hey, Captain?"

The Gundam looked at him. "Hm?"

"I'm glad you're my friend. It's been a great Christmas this year with you, and Zero and Baku." He smiled. "Merry Christmas."

By the shine of his eyescreens, Shute could tell his friend was smiling back. "Thank you, Shute... Merry Christmas to you, too."


End file.
